An employer’s decision to discipline a Christian senior manager for imposing her religious views on a Muslim junior employee was neither direct discrimination nor harassment. The tribunal hearing the case had correctly drawn a distinction between instances where religion is the reason for the treatment and where it is merely the context.

The dismissal of an employee was not direct disability discrimination as the decision maker did not know that he was disabled. The knowledge of the employer’s OH adviser in relation to the employee’s disability could not be imputed to the decision maker in the disciplinary process.

An employer did not discriminate when it made it a condition of entry into its childcare voucher scheme that the vouchers, which were provided through salary sacrifice, would be suspended during maternity leave.

The need for employers proactively to assess risks faced by their staff when at work, and to reduce those risks accordingly, have been emphasised by the Supreme Court. Here the employer of a home carer who fell and broke her wrist in icy conditions was found to have breached both its statutory duty and its common law duty of care.

Warehouse work including manually lifting and moving items of up to 25kg is a ‘normal day-to-day activity’ holds the EAT in a reminder that just because activities are carried out at work doesn’t prevent them from being ‘day-to-day activities’ for the purposes of the statutory definition of disability.

The aftermath of the Brexit referendum gave rise to a chain of racist and xenophobic incidents. The 57% increase in reports of hate crime following the vote reminds us that we must not become complacent in our continued efforts to achieve equality, inclusion and acceptance for all. Ethnicity and colour are among the most uncomfortable subjects for anyone, including those working in diversity and inclusion, to confront. This discomfort, however, should not and cannot allow us to shy away from discussing big subjects that have a profound impact on society at large and our workplaces.

Other Information

All rights reserved. No reproduction, distribution or transmission of any information, part or parts of this website by any means whatsoever is permitted without the prior written permission of Gordon Publishing Ltd | Designed & Maintained by Boxhedge New Media Design